WILDFLOWER

Chapter 1

Aditya Macwan felt the warm moist air engulf his sweaty tensed body as he gave up the struggle to free himself from the muck surrounding him. The rain had stopped an hour ago but the air still smelt of wet mud and sweet grass. Rotating his shoulder, he tried to ignore the ache in his legs. His summer holidays were always a jumble of activity with the incessant monsoon rains bringing little relief to the heat. As usual, his numerous cousins made it impossible to laze about inside the luxury of his air-conditioned house.

"Dit?"

He felt a catch of irritation at the familiar voice. Flexing his shoulders, he raised his head to meet the pair of grey eyes that were focused on him, the challenge in their depth evident.

Normally, he would have responded aggressively to her using a shortened form of his name. 'Adi' or 'Dee' would have been bearable. But 'Dit'?

He grunted.

Normally he wouldn't have been holed up in a dirty pit in his own yard.

His mother was re-doing the garden. And his mother did nothing by half measure. Even some of the younger trees were being uprooted and shifted around. The large holes in the lawn had seemed a good place for cover while playing hide and seek with his cousins. Jumping in had been easy but his pudgy body made it difficult to get out.

Aditya stared at the girl above him. Her chin was resting on the ground unmindful of the mound of wet mud while a thin hand was extended towards him.

He reached for her hand and tried to raise himself but felt her slithering dangerously towards him.

Crap.

The last thing he needed was a girl stuck inside the pit with him. He let go of the hand and slid back into the pit, taking stock of his muddy surrounding. Using his hands, he quickly scooped out some mud to make an indent large enough for the front of his dirty shoes. Then with another grunt, he reached for her hand again and pushed one foot into the gap he'd made and another against the side of the pit for leverage, heaving himself out.

He fell over her slight form with a thud.

"Sorry," he mumbled, embarrassed before rotating his head to check their surroundings. No one had seen them. Thank God. His cousins would have a field day if they witnessed his clumsy fumbling. He turned his gaze back to the grey eyes that were laughing at him.

"What?" he barked, his twelve-year-old voice sounding childish to his own ears as he rolled to stand up.

Ignoring his outstretched hands she jumped up, standing an inch taller despite being two years younger.

"You should look before you leap Dit," she advised, "you weigh a ton!"

No sense in reacting to her taunt with 'Dit' when she had just saved him from disgrace. But then again, she used it gently, almost like an endearment. A strange, unknown emotion flickered within, turning him immobile for seconds while he watched her throw her two long brown braids over her shoulders and dust her palms with a few light claps. Almost as an afterthought, she asked, "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "You?"

She nodded.

Some of the tension in his body ebbed away.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"Bye," she mouthed.

Typical Jazzy.

Just when you think she was going to say something outrageous, she would surprise you with softness.

Throwing him a look filled with a mischievous twinkle, she twirled to run back and he suppressed the urge to tug her flying braids.